1. Field
The following description relates to a compressor, and more particularly to a bypass structure of a compression chamber of a scroll compressor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a scroll compressor is an apparatus for compressing refrigerant using relative movement between a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll, each of which has a spiral wrap. When compared with a reciprocating compressor or a rotary compressor, the scroll compressor has higher efficiency, lower vibration and noise, a smaller size, and a lighter weight. Accordingly, the scroll compressor has been widely used in refrigeration cycle devices such as air conditioning systems.
The scroll compressor includes a compression portion formed by the fixed scroll and the orbiting scroll. The fixed scroll is seated in and fixed to a housing such as an airtight container. The orbiting scroll revolves (or orbits) with respect to the fixed scroll. The compression portion becomes smaller in width in the direction from an outer circumference to an inner circumference thereof due to revolutions of the orbiting scroll. The refrigerant is suctioned from the outer circumference of the compression portion and then compressed in the compression portion, and is finally discharged from the center part of the compression portion to the inside of the housing.
Because the fixed scroll and the orbiting scroll perform orbiting motion while being in contact with each other, a middle pressure portion is formed in the fixed scroll, and the middle pressure portion presses the fixed scroll toward the orbiting scroll, such that the desired sealing property remains unchanged.
However, because the middle pressure portion is provided in the fixed scroll, it is impossible to form a sufficient-sized space in which a bypass valve can be formed, in the region of the fixed scroll, such that the conventional scroll compressor has difficulty in optimizing the efficiency of compression at a low load state.